MARY J. BLIGE feat. ELTON JOHN : DEEP INSIDE [MCA - USA 1999] 12'

Mary J. Blige feat. Elton John  "Deep Inside"  maxi 12"

(MCA)  1999  made in USA

cat. num. MCA8P 4438

#r&b  #soul  

When Mary J. Blige's debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in July 1992, critics and fans were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B and edgy rap production that glanced off of the pain and grit of the singer's New York upbringing. Compared to Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them, she helped adorn soul music with new flavors. With her blonde hair, self-preserving slouch, and combat boots, Blige personified street-tough beauty. As she exorcized her demons and softened her style, she remained a hero to thousands of girls growing up in the same kinds of rough places she came from. Blige continually reinvented her career by shedding the habits and influences that kept her down and matured into an expressive singer able to put the full power of her voice behind her music. Blige's rank as "the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" has never been disputable. Each one of the singer's proper studio albums, released across a period that has exceeded two decades, debuted within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200.